Gene Elvin Stafford

Gene Elvin Stafford, 100, of Longmont, CO, passed away on August 1, 2026 at home. He was born on April 13, 1926, in Marion, KS to Linzie and Hazel Stafford, who preceded him in death.

Gene had a happy childhood on his parent's dairy farm in Marion. He was the first of 2 children, his younger brother being Richard (Dick). He helped the family on the farm, milking cows twice a day and tending to the family farm.

He attended school in Marion, graduating from high school in 1945. For a short time, Gene worked in Topeka, KS, and it was there he met the love of his life, Ramona Pearson. They married in 1949 and lived in Lincoln, NE while Gene attended Union College for four years, followed by Graduate school at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. He graduated in 1960 with a Doctorate in Dental Science degree. While Gene was in dental school, Stephen Leroy was born on October 7, 1951. Gene's first dental practice was in Wayne, NE, and he practiced there until 1962. They moved to Boulder, Colorado, that fall while Ramona was very pregnant. Penny JoLynn was born on February 1, 1963. Gene and Ramona were very happily married for 67 years. Ramona passed away on August 16, 2016.

Gene and Ramona lived in rural Boulder County while he practiced dentistry in Boulder and raised Steve and Penny. They moved to Milliken in 2002 after retirement. Gene moved to Longmont in 2022 and resided at a lovely retirement community until his passing.

Gene enjoyed boating, camping, water and snow skiing, and jeeping in South Park. They enjoyed taking cruises, visiting Branson, travel to Texas, Arizona and Kansas in their motor home and even a trip to the Dominican Republic to celebrate their 65th wedding anniversary with family and friends. Gene very much enjoyed keeping a beautiful lawn. He loved trees and frequently complained about how hard it was to grow fruit trees in Colorado! After Ramona passed away, he took many trips to South Padre Island, TX with Steve, where he enjoyed meeting and hanging out with Steve's watersports friends. Gene had a huge 100th birthday celebration in April of this year. He was able to reconnect with so many friends and family. More than 150 people attended and had the opportunity to celebrate his life while enjoying music and good food. It was a great day.

Gene was a lifetime member of the Seventh-day Adventist church. He is survived by his son Stephen Stafford of Gypsum, CO, his daughter Penny (Chuck) Myers of Mead, CO, and his granddaughters Linzie (Christian) Ridings and Taylor Myers both of Durango, CO. Donations may be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital (stjude.org)